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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25078927">(Hold Your Ground) We're Safe and Sound</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/scerek/pseuds/scerek'>scerek</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Teen Wolf (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abusive Relationships, Abusive Theo Raeken, Alternate Universe - Beach, Alternate Universe - Diners, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Safe Haven (2013) Fusion, Angst, Bottom Scott McCall, Caring Derek Hale, Derek Hale is Bad at Feelings, Domestic Violence, Fluff, Found Family, Hurt Scott McCall, M/M, Protective Derek Hale, Running Away, Slow Burn, Slow Burn Derek Hale/Scott McCall, Smut, Top Derek Hale, Waiter Scott McCall</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 03:35:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,417</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25078927</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/scerek/pseuds/scerek</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Theo had promised he would stop hitting Scott, but after he loses his temper one night and strikes him again, Scott realizes that Theo is never going to change. No longer wanting to suffer any more abuse, Scott decides to flee from the big city life in Boston and find shelter in Beacon Hills, a quaint, little place by the beach and the perfect hiding spot to run away from his dark past.</p><p>As soon as he enters town, Scott already finds himself a new roommate and best friend in the garrulous and animated Stiles Stilinski and a job at the Hale House, a struggling diner whose owner Derek has a hard time controlling himself around the handsome and mysterious new guy in town with the crooked smile and a whole lot of baggage.</p><p>
  <em>(Or, a Scerek Safe Haven AU)</em>
</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Derek Hale/Scott McCall</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>98</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>114</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Let me start by saying I'm very sorry for the disappearance. I've just had a really stressful last couple of months and haven't found the energy to write at all. But I have managed to get a few words down for this fic which is a fic that I have had on my mind for the last 3 years but never got around to writing it.</p><p>I do have more updates coming with my other fics soon. But for now, enjoy another WIP I have for you guys hahaha</p><p>Title from the song Safe and Sound by Capital Cities.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p>"Scott..." Theo's voice had cracked. His eyes were brimming with glittery tears.</p><p>Scott lifted a hand to where Theo had struck him, hissing at the white hot pain on the entire right side of his face. He was sure there would be bruising. Theo was normally careful about leaving any marks where people could see them. He usually opted for Scott's ribs or arms that could easily be covered by sweaters.</p><p>He started feeling dizzy, so he took a seat on the bed. The blow had caught him off guard. Theo was already pleading for forgiveness. There was a look of horror on his tear-stained face, as if this were the first time he had done something like this.</p><p>It was definitely not the first time.</p><p>"Scott, please," he sobbed. "I didn't mean it. You know I didn't."</p><p>Scott couldn't even bring himself to be angry at Theo. If anything, he was more angry at himself. He let himself be complacent around Theo. Theo had been good. There hadn't been an incident since New Year's when a drunk Theo had really laid it into Scott for what he perceived as "flirting" with some guy who just offered Scott a beer.</p><p>Theo's jealousy was unmatched. Even the slightest bit of kindness or even something as simple as a smile in Scott's direction from an attractive guy, and Theo would blow his top. Scott has never cheated on Theo. But he had to admit there were times when he'd fantasize about running away with one of the nicer guys in his biology class. Or his old biology class, he should say. Theo had forced him to drop out of school to become a stay-at-home boyfriend.</p><p>"Scott, come on, baby..." Theo was using a soothing voice, trying to cajole Scott into thinking that he won't do it again. But tonight had already proven that it will happen again. It always happens again.</p><p>"I...I can cancel my meeting tonight. We can just stay in and watch old movies. You remember how much you love old movies, right?"</p><p>Scott froze. Theo always used the "old movies" line when he wanted to get the begging and pleading over with. If Scott allowed him to grovel for too long, he'll lose his temper again and then it'll just be another vicious cycle of Theo hurling more abuse before following it up with more empty promises. And the only way it would stop was if Theo got tired or if Scott couldn't move anymore.</p><p>Theo had a meeting at an accounting firm with some important clients. It had been a last minute thing that added a lot to his already piling workload, which was a contributing factor to Theo's growing agitated mood.</p><p>Scott mustered up enough energy to stand up and wrap his arms around Theo's shoulders, pulling him into an intimate position.</p><p>"It's okay, he cooed, forcing a smile. "I know you didn't mean it. I didn't know the bartender was flirting with me. I would've told him no."</p><p>Theo's expression darkened, fists tightening and eyes bubbling with rage from just Scott even mentioning that other guy. Scott feared that he was going to lose it again, but thankfully, Theo let out a deep exhale and relaxed.</p><p>"I just..." Theo said tensely. "I just love you so much and I don't want to lose you."</p><p>Scott rubbed at his arm, placating him. "It's okay," he said. "I'm fine, I swear. I'll just ice myself and then take a nice hot bath. You have your meeting to get to. I'll be here when you get back."</p><p>It was an easy lie. Scott had been doing this routine for over five years. Just because Theo hadn't hit him in almost six months, doesn't mean Scott forgot how to pacify him.</p><p>Theo smiled sadly at him, wiping away the tear tracks on his cheeks before planting a soothing kiss to Scott's lips. Just the motion itself had made Scott's bruised face throb.</p><p>Scott sat on the bed and watched Theo scramble to get into his nice suit and bolt out the door, briefcase in hand. Scott made sure to wait at least fifteen minutes, anxiously looking at the clock to the second, before he jumped off the bed and headed straight for the closet.</p><p>There was no point in getting a luggage case. It was too heavy and he had to pack light. He dug through and grabbed the backpack that he had used for school. He began stuffing it with the necessities—a couple of shirts, an extra pair of jeans, several pairs of underwear, several pairs of socks, a toothbrush, and a box of strawberry granola bars from the cupboard for the long ride.</p><p>He tossed his phone on the bed along with his wallet. There was no way he could ever bring his phone with him, not with the GPS easily tracking him. Same for his credit card.</p><p>Scott zipped up his red hoodie and went straight for the back of the closet, digging out a lock box with a passcode on the top. Scott had money in his trust fund, but Theo made sure to tie it up with his bank connections in order to keep a vice grip on Scott's spending. And Theo kept his pin number and bank account information a secret. However, he did keep a large sum of bills locked away in case of a rainy day emergency. And as luck would have it, it was raining cats and dogs tonight in Boston.</p><p>Scott typed in Theo's late sister's birthday into the code and unlocked the box. The currency bands on the cash read $10,000 and there were five stacks, which meant Scott had $50,000 to tide him over until he could figure out what to do next.</p><p>He held the money in his shaking hands for a minute, self-doubt beginning to cloud his mind. If he actually did this and failed to get away successfully, he really did believe that Theo would kill him. He had the connections and Scott could only shudder at the idea of how crazy Theo would get if he found him.</p><p>There was a nagging voice in his head that was screaming at him to drop the money, unpack his belongings and pretend he never thought about leaving. It was telling him that was the safer option.</p><p>
  <em>"If you ever think about leaving me, I will kill you," Theo had threatened one night, staring down at a frightened Scott, who lied amongst the debris of a potted plant that Theo had tossed against the wall.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And then, the tears came and now he was petting him slightly, talking about how he was sorry that it would never happen again.</em>
</p><p>A memory that seemed like forever ago flashed away as fast as it came to him. As if to emphasize the point, the bruise against Scott's face started throbbing again, serving a reminder that Theo wasn't going to stop. People like Theo never changed, not if they don't have a reason to.</p><p>Up until now, Scott had always came back to him, in spite of the repeated threats and offenses. Why would Theo change all of a sudden if Scott was just going to forgive him anyway?</p><p>Scott shook his head. One really bad night and Theo might actually do it. This is a cycle that had to be stopped. It needed to stop and Scott needed to get out of here.</p><p>It ends tonight.</p><p>
  
</p><p>Scott wound his way through the crowded hall of South Station, keeping his head low and trying his best to avoid as much eye contact as possible. His anxiety was through the roof and he felt like he might have a simultaneous asthma and panic attack.</p><p>There was a paranoid feeling that Theo had returned home early—maybe he had forgotten something and had to turn back or maybe he just decided to not go to work after all and came home to find the place empty—and he was already declaring a witch hunt for his lost fiancé.</p><p>Scott felt like every person in the station was looking at him, pointing in his direction, exposing his whereabouts. And Theo would appear from the crowd and start beating him in public while everyone just stood there and stared.</p><p>Scott stopped at the front of the destination board, watching the orange numbers glow angrily as he made his decision. A big city seemed like the gut instinct: large crowds; it could be easy to hide out in. But the problem was that it would be one of the first places Theo would look. There was also no use hiding out in a one-horse town. It would be impossible to blend in, being a new face in town. Scott needed to find something in between.</p><p>He checked his watch. Almost an hour had gone by and Theo could either still be at the office or maybe his meeting had ended early and he was on his way back. Either way, Scott needed to choose a destination as fast as possible.</p><p>There was an 11:40PM greyhound to Canaan, some nowhere hick place in Beacon County below the Mason-Dixon line with a sizeable population. Tickets cost about $40 and it was about several states over. He'd be there either late afternoon the next day to very early morning the next day over.</p><p>It appeared that Scott was going to get to his beauty rest on the bus, but with the threat of Theo's wrath looming, Scott wasn't sure if he would get any sleep at all...</p><p>
  
</p><p>The bus halted to a stop. There was no way he could be there already.</p><p>Scott looked around, there were no passengers, just himself and the bus driver. Suddenly, the driver opened the door and two hulking policemen entered the bus and began whispering to the man, pointing to the back of the bus where Scott was.</p><p>Cold dread began to fill Scott as his heart felt like it was going to explode out of his chest. He knew Theo was well-connected, but Scott thought he had at least a day or two's head start. He couldn't have found him so quickly. It was just not possible...</p><p>His worst fears were realized when he saw Theo's handsome face walking up the steps and into the bus. The police ushered the driver out, leaving Theo and himself alone. There was nowhere to go; nowhere to hide. Scott could only sink into his seat as he watched Theo stalking over to him.</p><p>There were tear tracks all over his cheeks, but Theo's eyes were fiery mad.</p><p>"I told you, Scott," he said in a dark voice, reaching into his back pocket. Scott could see metal and he knew that there was no escape from here. He uselessly held his hands up, begging for Theo to spare his life as his enraged fiancé aimed the gun right at him.</p><p>But Theo shook his head. He had gone crazy. His eyes were no longer the eyes of his fiancé but of a raving lunatic. In retrospect, that might have actually been the same thing. "I told you," he repeated in a threatening voice, "If you ever leave me, I will kill you."</p><p>"Theo, no!"</p><p>A gunshot rang and Scott McCall was dead.</p><p>
  
</p><p>Scott's body jolted awake, gasping loudly. He quickly examined his surroundings. The bus was still moving, it was still full of passengers, and Scott was sweating like crazy. A couple of passengers were looking at him oddly, so he pulled at his hoodie even more to cover his face, despite the sweat, and laid back against his seat.</p><p>It was only a nightmare, he thought thankfully. Theo hadn't found him...yet.</p><p>Finally, the other passengers went about their business, allowing Scott to lift his legs up and hug his knees to his chest. He could feel the beginnings of a panic attack building inside him, but he tried his best to stave it off. The bruising on his face still hurt and his chest ached from all of the emotional stress he had gone through the past twelve hours.</p><p>This was it. There was no turning back from here. There was no going back and pretending like things would be okay. Scott was in it for the long haul now. He was officially a runaway. A lost soul with no real direction or planning. Just a poor guy trying to get away from the person who had been terrorizing him for the past five years. He imagined the amount of things that Theo destroyed when he came home to an empty apartment and realized that Scott was gone for good.</p><p>That nagging voice in his head had returned to tell him that he had fucked up; that he shouldn't have left. He should've stayed. Oh god, he should've stayed. Theo was going to be so mad at him. What had he done?</p><p>Scott sobbed. He tried to be as quiet as he possibly could, sniffling like a little toddler that scraped his knee and letting his tears stain his jeans. He was so terrified now—of what Theo was going to do to him.</p><p>"Are you alright, honey?" came an elderly voice. There was an old lady looking at him with concern in her eyes.</p><p>Scott nodded his head weakly, huddling into himself more. He knew he needed to reign in his emotions before he drew too much attention to himself. The less of a fuss he made, the better he'd go unnoticed.</p><p>"Uh, yeah," Scott sniffed. "I just... I just had a death in the family and I'm...traveling to my aunt's place...in Canaan."</p><p>The old lady's face softened to a sympathetic look and she began going on with a really long story about how her and her husband Howard had met and their whirlwind love affair in the 1940's. Something about meeting at a carnival and her parents calling the police on her. By the time she reached the middle of it, Scott was already back asleep.</p><p>
  
</p><p>There was one stop before Canaan: Beacon Hills. It was some nowhere beach town; a kind of touristy place where families would come for the fireworks on the Fourth of July. The kind of place to have cheesy shit like a bicentennial for some kind of battle. It looked straight out of a Nicholas Sparks book with the waves crashing against the white sandy beaches and a lush green forest surrounding the area.</p><p>The bus driver made a pit stop for anyone who needed to stretch out their legs or use one of the facilities. They had thirty minutes before the bus left for Canaan.</p><p>Scott slung his backpack over his shoulder and trudged off the bus, immediately being hit with the salty sea air. It was still early in the morning and the sun was barely just coming out from behind the water.</p><p>Scott decided that he would look around.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It was my goal to at least get a new chapter in every week, so we'll see how it goes for next week. I've been super busy but I'm finally able to get some time off and just kind of work. I'll do my best to update my other fics too.</p><p>And yes, I did change the title of the fic. Safe Haven was always a working title, sorry lmaoooo</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Where the hell is Isaac?" Derek grumbled as he laid out the table covers. He had finally been able to spring for the plastic ones for his outside tables. They weren't exactly fancy, but it saved him the trouble of having to wash the cloth covers all the time because tourists didn't know how to chew with their mouths closed.</p><p>"Got up late," Erica answered as she filled the salt shakers. "Hot date last night. Didn't get in 'til four in the morning."</p><p>"One of these days I'm gonna fire his lazy ass," Derek huffed as he smoothed out the last cover. "I—</p><p>"Mean it this time." Erica and Braeden finished in unison. "Yeah, yeah."</p><p>Derek gave them a sour look, but they were already used to his broody demeanor and never took him seriously. There was a time when everyone was scared of him. Now he was the equivalent of a grumpy house cat to them. How the mighty had fallen.</p><p>Erica blew him a kiss before continuing on with her pre-opening duties while Braeden finished counting up all of the money in the cash register.</p><p>"Count all the money yet?" Derek asked as he pulled on his apron.</p><p>"All eight-five dollars and ninety-two cents," she said with a deadpanned voice.</p><p>Derek rolled his eyes and fished out his wallet for a couple of bills. "You got a couple of twenties you can spot me? I'll pay you after work."</p><p>"I'll check my purse."</p><p>The Hale House Diner hadn't been doing all that great lately. Or well, it wasn't ever doing amazing in the first place, but things were steady for a while until less tourists would gradually come year after year which meant that Derek had to mostly rely on loyal customers to get by. At best, Beacon Hills was a toilet break on their way to Disney World, but the sandy beaches had been a great locale for the 4th of July weekend, which was coming soon which meant that business was finally going to pick up again.</p><p>But what else helped get him by and the last surviving lifeline his little shack had was his famous local cheeseburgers. Derek was the best cook in all of Beacon County. The diner sold everything from fried fish with potato wedges, crab cakes, footlong dogs with all the nice trimmings, and, of course, the best and fattest cheeseburgers this side of North Carolina.</p><p>And yet, the tourists still preferred the fancy kitchen tables.</p><p>Braeden handed him a couple of twenties and he stuffed them into the register along with a new roll of quarters and some loose change he dug up from his pocket.</p><p>He went out back to the shed to grab the big umbrella canopies for the outside tables. Usually, he'd have Isaac do that job, but the little shit was late again, so Derek was working solo on this one. He had successfully managed to wrestle all three of them out of the shed at once and hung them all out on the front deck that overlooked the ocean. Most of the tourists liked eating with a view, even if it did smell like fish.</p><p>Just as he had finished setting up the last umbrella, his eyes caught site of some guy in a maroon hoodie walking around the dock with an old, stuffed up backpack, staring out into the ocean. Derek didn't see his face, but the guy seemed entranced by the way the sun was rising up from the ocean. Must not be a local because a local wouldn't look at the sunrise like they were looking at a fancy painting of a sunrise.</p><p>Derek's eyes trailed down and smirked. The guy had a nice ass.</p><p>
  
</p><p>Scott looked out over the deck, watching where the sky met the sea as the sun was still rising out. The distance was heavenly. The salty ocean breeze was crisp against his face, comforting even with that fishy smell. For the first time in a long time, Scott felt at peace.</p><p>There was just something about the way the seagulls were crooning as they glided through the air while the waves crashed against the rocks below the deck that just made a person feel at ease. Like it was some kind of oasis in the middle of the harsh, unforgiving desert wasteland that was life.</p><p>From behind, the bus had drove off. The driver had given them thirty minutes so he must have been daydreaming for longer than he thought. He would be stuck there until the next bus or if he could hitch a ride to the next town, but as he looked out beyond the sea, watching the shimmer of the sun in the waves, he found himself not really caring in the slightest.</p><p>Beacon Hills seemed like a nice enough place. It wasn't too small, but it wasn't a huge, well-known place either. It was almost like a paradise island. This could just very well be the perfect hiding spot for Scott to start his life over. No one knew who he was. He could be anyone he wanted. He could picture himself living in a small cottage, passing the friendly faces as he hiked along the trails, watching the sun shine through the trees. He bet the sun was just as beautiful disappearing into the ocean as it was coming out of it.</p><p>He walked passed some shabby-looking diner as he made his way toward a staircase that led to the beach area, trudging down the steps as slow as possible, just so he could enjoy the ocean air a little bit longer.</p><p>He still had the large stacks of cash in his bag from Theo's safe. Cost of living in a small town wasn't high, so an apartment or maybe even a small cottage wouldn't be hard to come by, but he couldn't just show off how much money he had without arousing suspicion, so he figured that he could get a job as a cover.</p><p>But first, he needed to find a place to stay.</p><p>Suddenly, his thoughts were rudely interrupted when he felt something smack against his face. He snatched the paper off his face before hearing a loud voice yelling.</p><p>"Oh, son of a—FUCK!"</p><p>Scott looked over curiously at some gangling-looking guy around his age, flailing his arms wildly with a stapler in hand in a futile attempt to try and capture of a bunch of neon-yellow flyers that had blown away with the wind.</p><p>"Fly away, my children!" the guy shouted dramatically as he gave up trying to do the impossible. "Fly away and find me a new roommate!"</p><p>Scott's ears perked up. Stepping off the staircase, he gathered up as many flyers as he could from the sandy floor that hadn't made the journey into the sky.</p><p>"Oh, thanks, buddy," the boy said gratefully as Scott handed the flyers back to him. "I swear, it took me a whole ten minutes to make these and print 'em out at Kinko's. Then they go and disrespect me like this! Rude."</p><p>Scott glanced down at one of the flyers. It appeared to have been an ad for a shared apartment: a two-bedroom, one bathroom for $400 rent. It seemed like fate had literally hit Scott in the face.</p><p>"You're renting a room?"</p><p>The guy nodded. "Yeppers. I just kicked out my last roommate, so I'm in the market for some new meat."</p><p>The guy suddenly narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Scott, examining him as he moved in closer so their faces were almost touching, having absolutely no regard for personal space. Scott instinctively flinched backwards, his body freezing in fear.</p><p>The guy hummed thoughtfully, still sizing him up. "You new in town, pal?"</p><p>Scott's feet were like lead, trapping him in place with no other option than to nod his head and say, "Uh, yeah...I-I just got in."</p><p>The guy's face brightened up into a wide toothy grin, resembling a used car salesman. "Well, then you must be looking for a place to crash, right?"</p><p>Scott barely get a word out before the guy snatched up his hand and shook it rapidly in a little too-friendly gesture. "The name's Stiles. Stiles Stilinski."</p><p>Scott tilted his head curiously. He had never heard of a person named <em>Stiles</em> before.</p><p>"It's a nickname," Stiles grumbled, as if reading his mind. "So how about you? Got a name?"</p><p>"Scott..." He said without thinking. He shouldn't have used his real name, but he figured that Scott was a common enough name.</p><p>"Got a last name there, too, chum?"</p><p>Scott hesitated. A last name would certainly narrow down the search results. No one knew him in Beacon Hills, so he could've been Prince Kanye Blue Ivy Carter for all anyone cared.</p><p>He sucked in a breath and blurted out the first name that popped into his head: "Howard."</p><p>That had been about as much as he could remember from his encounter with that old lady on the bus.</p><p>Stiles looked at him curiously, humming to himself. It was like he already saw through Scott's lie and Scott was ready for him to call up Theo and give away his location.</p><p>But instead, Stiles Stilinski just stroked his chin, trying to look as thoughtfully as he could. "You know you don't really look like a Howard. But I guess we all can't choose our names, right?"</p><p>Scott gulped. "Y-yeah..."</p><p>"I mean, take a look at my name." Stiles dug into his pocket to pull out his wallet before flashing his driver's license. "It practically borders on child abuse!"</p><p>Scott narrowed his eyes, regretting it immediately when he realized that half of it was still bruised up from the other night and still hurting like hell.</p><p>Stiles' name didn't even look like a name. It looked like someone had fallen asleep on the keyboard at the DMV and that's what came out. He now knew why Stiles went by Stiles.</p><p>Stiles stuffed the license back into his pocket before reaching out and Scott by the shoulder, making the poor boy jolt in fear at the sudden contact. However, Stiles hadn't realized that at all and instead poked a finger into Scott's ribs and grinning widely like he was about to sell Scott a lemon.</p><p>"So, anyway, friend. I was putting up flyers to see if anyone around here was interested in renting a room, but since you came by and you're looking for a place to stay, why dont' I just show you now? You got a car?"</p><p>Scott didn't really get a chance to come up with a good, believable lie before he was being scooped up off the beach and practically dragged out to the beach parking lot where some ugly-looking blue jeep was parked.</p><p>"He's a beaut, ain't he?" Stiles said proudly as he tossed Scott into the passenger's seat before his new friend could even reply.</p><p>Scott felt something digging into his lower back and reached behind himself to pull out a large roll of duct tape.</p><p>Stiles hopped into the driver's seat and let out an embarrassed laugh when he saw Scott holding up the tape expectantly. "That's just for the fuel tank...And the oil tank...And to cover the cracks in the radiator."</p><p>Scott paled. He dropped the tape and strapped in his seat belt as quickly as possible before they sped off. The jeep was making the most uncomfortable and unsettling roaring sounds as they drove down the street.</p><p>Scott watched as they sped past the various buildings. They were so...small. Scott was used to a big city with towering buildings, but here seldom did any of them even get past two stories. It was like living in the suburbs, but there was no public transit downtown. This was downtown.</p><p>Stiles was talking animatedly about how much Scott was going to love Beacon Hills, about all the places they had to go. Some of his favorite hole-in-the-walls and all the great fishing spots. He was talking a mile, a minute so Scott could only barely get half of what he was saying before he drifted off into his own thoughts as he watched the sun finally escape the sea and fly into the sky.</p><p>He had at first felt lost in a place unknown but seeing the sun beaming down at him suddenly made him feel better in a way. Like maybe he wasn't lost.</p><p>They arrived at the apartment complex, which really looked more like the motel from Schitt's Creek, only two stories high. Stiles wasted no time in giving Scott the grand tour, showing off where he could do his laundry, the small community pool and the beach path to Shiprock Beach that was only a walking distance from the apartments.</p><p>The apartment itself was small and compact with just two bedrooms across from each other and one bathroom down the hall. The kitchen was more of a kitchenette and the living room was barely big enough to fit a couch and two chairs plus one TV stand.</p><p>His and Theo's—just Theo's—apartment back in Boston was three times as big as this place.</p><p>"Kitchen works just fine," Stiles explained. "We got hot water and stuff. The room's over here."</p><p>He led Scott into the single hallway to the first door on the right. It was mostly empty save for one dresser, a nightstand with a chipped lamp, and a lumpy-looking futon. Scott dropped his bag on the bed as he examined the room fully.</p><p>There were small cracks in the ceiling, the rug looked like it hadn't been shampooed in a long time, and there were brown stains on the window blinds, which were bent in some places.</p><p>"It's not much, but it could probably hold you over until you make yourself at home," Stiles said. "I steam-cleaned the futon for you. My last roommate, Sean, was a webcam model, so I made extra sure that it was good to go."</p><p>Scott furrowed his eyebrows. "A webcam model?"</p><p>"Yeah, I didn't really mind at first, but then he started putting cameras in the bathroom without me knowing, so he had to vamoose." Stiles shrugged his shoulders, nonchalant. "Wasn't all that bad though. If you google 'showerjacker24', you'll see I'm the 43rd most popular webcam model on LiveBators.com!" He leaned in close to Scott, again ignoring personal boundaries, whispering, "I swear though, bro. I don't really slap the salami that often in the shower and I do clean the tub afterwards, so it's all good!"</p><p>Scott wasn't sure what he had to say to that.</p><p>After showing Scott their small shared bathroom—which was a far cry from the his-and-his sink bathroom with a steam shower as big as his "new" bedroom and a jacuzzi tub—Stiles led him back to the living room.</p><p>Stiles cleared his throat. "So about the rent," he began. "It's eight-hundred bucks, but you only gotta pay half and I'll pay the other half. You gotta make sure you pay on time because our landlord, Mr. Harris—he's a real dick about late rent. And if you're gonna leave early, you still gotta—"</p><p>Stiles was interrupted by the sounds of Scott tossing a couple of rolls of bills on the coffee table. "That's two thousand dollars. Is that enough?"</p><p>Stiles' jaw dropped at the amount of cash Scott had just plopped onto the table like it was nothing. "Is that eno—? That's more than enough! You're good for, like, the next five months!" He stood up to pat Scott on the shoulder, making him wince slightly. "Welcome home, roomie!"</p><p>Scott nodded his head and retired back to his room before stopping when Stiles called after him. "Hey, one more thing. How'd you get that shiner on your face?"</p><p>Scott turned around and looked at him with wide eyes. His heart was racing and his mouth suddenly went dry. "Um, I... got into... a car accident."</p><p>He fumbled over his words and he prayed that Stiles wouldn't catch on to how obviously bad he is at lying. It didn't help that he was shivering like a scared puppy.</p><p>Stiles made a face. "I thought you didn't have a car?"</p><p>Scott gulped. "I don't...because I was in an accident..."</p><p>Stiles nodded his head thoughtfully, eyes still analyzing Scott. Scott was terrified at this point. He felt like he was about to be found out. Until... "Makes sense to me!"</p><p>Scott let out the deep breath he had been holding in, sighing in relief after having successfully passed the Stilinski Lie Detector Test. He politely excused himself before shutting the door behind him and hunching over to the bed.</p><p>It wasn't the soft California king size that he had back in Boston. That had been like falling asleep on a cloud while this futon felt like a sleeping on a bag of lumpy mashed potatoes. But when Scott fell back and laid his head on the pillow that had already long been flattened from use, he couldn't help but fall asleep and for once getting the rest he deserved.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>For those who didn't know, Scott Howard was the main character from the original Teen Wolf movie. How many of you caught that? :P</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yay! I'm actually keeping up with a schedule :D</p><p>Today we meet the Hale House diner staff -- the Hale Pack of Derek, Isaac, Erica, Boyd, and Braeden!</p><p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was a banging on the bedroom door that had Scott bolting upwards like he had been shocked with a jolt of electricity, gasping in fear. Instinctively, he hunched backwards, tightly hugging his knees to his chest with his fists clenched and cradling into a little ball. He stared at his bedroom door like it was going to explode at any second and he could feel the beginnings of a panic attack coming along.</p><p>His mind was racing with paranoid theories. <em>He</em> was here. Theo had found him and he was coming for him. He killed Stiles and now he was going to kill him.</p><p>Suddenly, there was another rapid knock on the door and then Stiles' voice hollered from the other end. "'ey, Scotty! Scotty Boy! Scotty Pippin! You up?"</p><p>Scott exhaled, feeling way out of breath. His heart was still beating a hundred times a second, but he felt a little less tense. He looked down at his hands to see where his fingernails had dug half-moon imprints into his palms. His heavy breathing finally subsided.</p><p>Stiles was still knocking on his door every few moments, pretty much giving Scott no other choice but to hop off the bed and open the door to Stiles' happy face.</p><p>"Oh, good, you're awake! Glad I didn't disturb you," he said with a shit-eating grin. There was something in his hand but before he could really get a good look, Stiles had tipped his head up by the chin to inspect the bruise all over the right side of his face.</p><p>Scott instinctively flinched, waiting for the blow but it never came. Instead, Stiles whistled to himself. "That is one nasty shiner you got. You should've had some ice on that hours ago, man." He held up an old dishrag that looked to have had a bunch of ice wrapped in it. "Figured you could use some before it gets any worse. You been holed up in your room since eight. It's already three in the afternoon."</p><p>Shit. Scott hadn't realized he had slept for so long. "I'm just really tired from traveling."</p><p>"Yeah, I bet! Where you from anyway? You seem like a big city boy."</p><p>Scott swallowed. "New York." Scott had been to New York a few times, on business trips with Theo. He couldn't tell many exciting stories since most of those business trips he went to, Theo forbade him from leaving the hotel room. But he knew enough about city life in Boston to at least make it passable and he figured that no one in this town would really know the difference.</p><p>"A Yankee, huh? You lucky I'm a good, law-abiding citizen or I'd fight you." Scott tensed up. "So enough sleeping. Whaddya say we jump start Roscoe and go down to my favorite little joint for some burgers? And hell, I'm feeling inna generous mood! We'll split the bill."</p><p>Scott scrunched his face in confusion, immediately regretting it when he felt his eye throbbing. He had never known anyone who talked as much as Stiles. New Yorkers and Bostoners, they don't talk. At all. Scott thought Stiles might have spoken more words to him within the past seven hours than all of the city people back up in Boston that Scott had ever interacted with combined.</p><p>

</p><p>Isaac finally managed to get his ass to the diner just a little after opening. The lunch rush had arrived and a good-sized crowd was going, a few regulars and some new tourists in town. It wasn't much as their usual lunch crowd but it was a good start to a hopefully productive week.</p><p>Derek was still short-handed, however. Erica's on-again, off-again squeeze Boyd worked at the ice rink, but because most people don't go ice skating during the summer, that meant he needed a summer job, so Derek finally had some extra hands in the kitchen. But for the waiting staff and busing tables, Derek was forced to dust off the <em>HELP WANTED</em> sign and pray that someone out there was willing to work for a less-than-desirable pay.</p><p>His last guy, Jared—good kid, clumsy as hell—had fallen ill from some bad fish that he had caught at the docks and puked something nasty during the lunch hour. Poor guy was too embarrassed to show his face at work the next day and Derek couldn't blame him. But that still left Derek down one busboy and in desperate need for an extra hand.</p><p>"Order up," Derek rang the bell and in seconds, Erica scooped three plates of Derek's famous cheeseburgers off to their respective tables. He poked his head out and whistled for Braeden. "Can you do sweep today? Jared still hasn't returned my calls."</p><p>Braeden shrugged indifferently. "I'll be surprised if he ever does. I'll handle it, but you owe me, hot stuff."</p><p>"Thanks, babe."</p><p>"'ey, Derry Boy! I know you missed me, buddy!"</p><p>Derek rolled his eyes with a disgruntled sigh as Stiles Stilinski entered the diner with some guy he's never seen before close behind him. The guy looked like his face was on the wrong end of a baseball bat and he looked to be scared to death of his own shadow. He also noticed that he was wearing a maroon hoodie just like Nice Ass from the dockside earlier.</p><p>Stiles plopped down up on one of the bar seats with his new friend following suit, who seemed to try and avoid as much eye contact as possible.</p><p>"Order anything you like." Stiles said with a playful slap to his friend's shoulder, making the boy yelp. "It's on you!"</p><p>He waved the menu in the kid's face before turning his attention to his cashier to make googly eyes at her.</p><p>"Braeden—love of my life—can you imagine how wonderful life would be if you were my beloved wife that I'd worship hand and foot?"</p><p>Braeden, however, looked very unimpressed. "Because that would only happen in your imagination."</p><p>Stiles clutched his chest. "I'm wounded." He dramatically plopped half of his body over the counter before Braeden smacked his head to get off.</p><p>"The usual, right?" Braeden asked as she began writing in her notepad.</p><p>"Always and forever, just like my love for you."</p><p>Braeden rolled her eyes as she turned to Stiles' new friend. "And what'll you have, sweetface?"</p><p>The kid had been looking at the menu like it was a geometry book and he blushed at the faint sound of his own stomach growling in hungry anticipation. "Uh..."</p><p>"Why don't you get what I'm getting? You'll love Derek's cheeseburgers. It's a happy heart attack waiting to happen!"</p><p>"Stop calling them that," Derek hollered annoyedly from the kitchen area. His ears were like a wolf.</p><p>The guy shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I'll have the same as Stiles."</p><p>Braeden hung up their orders before turning back to them new roommates. She fetched them a couple of root beers, smiling politely at the new Beacon Hills resident before before turning to Stiles. "So who's your new friend?"</p><p>Stiles happily pointed to the guy sitting next to him. "Got myself a new roommate! This is Scott. Yeah, I interviewed a bunch o' guys, took all day, but this one was the winner! Paid in cash. He's new in town. Real nice guy. Don't talk much, though, and he's a shit driver."</p><p>Braeden squinted critically at the yellowish bruise on Scott's right cheek, just below the black eye he had. She gestured around her own eye. "You alright?"</p><p>The kid seemed tongue-tied like he was trying to come up with a suitable lie inside his head, but he was much too slow in doing so which immediately set off a red flag in Braeden's calculating mind.</p><p>Scott was still choking on his words before Stiles thankfully spoke up, who had enough words for a thousand people. "Yeah, he got into a car accident. I'm telling ya, the guy should not be allowed behind the wheel..."</p><p>Braeden smacked him over the head again. "Get. Off. The. Counter."</p><p>"Sorry, my love." Stiles sat back in his seat with his signature shit-eating grin. "So, uh, I noticed out in front you're looking for help."</p><p>"Thanks, but no thanks, Stiles," Braeden interrupted. "Last time we let you bus tables, you accidentally dropped five plates."</p><p>"It could've been worse."</p><p>"You dropped them on a customer's head."</p><p>"Okay, I'll give you that one. But I'm not talking about me, I'm talking about my new friend here."</p><p>Scott blinked confusedly, looking like a deer in headlights. Braeden whistled for Derek to come check out the new guy and Derek whistled for Boyd to take over for him in the kitchen area as he made his way around to where Scott and Stiles were at.</p><p>He tossed his towel that he was drying his hands off on over shoulder and leaned against the bar, eyeing the new kid critically. The guy looked like he was about ready to have a stroke.</p><p>

</p><p>Scott froze up at the big, hulking and very intimidating figure coming up to him.</p><p>The guy was attractive. Stupidly attractive. Like one of those country boy hunks you saw on a Hallmark movie. He had hair everywhere. On his arms, peaking out from his chest and a good sized scruff that was turning into a beard on his face. And speaking of his arms, they were thick and muscular, especially when he wore a shirt that was a size too small and showing off his perky pecs. If he didn't have this perma-scowl on his face, Scott might've been more horny than terrified.</p><p>Derek was studying him, like he was trying to sum him up from just a once over. Without asking, he reached over and grabbed Scott by the chin to inspect the fading bruise on his face in the same manner that Stiles had done. It seemed small town folk had zero regard for personal space.</p><p>But on the bright side, this Derek character seemed like less of a chatterbox than his new roommate and hopefully wouldn't be asking too many invasive questions.</p><p>"What happened to you?" Derek asked gruffly, "Get in a fight or something?"</p><p>Scott pulled away from his hand and shook his head. "Car accident."</p><p>"Car accident?" Braeden repeated incredulously. "Must've been a doozy if you hit your face like that."</p><p>Scott looked over at Braeden and tried his best not to give away anything on his face because he sensed that she could probably smell bullshit a mile away.</p><p>Derek huffed. "You might wanna get some ice on that." He cleared his throat. "So, uh, you need a job, huh?"</p><p>Scott nodded. "Uh, yeah. Are you hiring?"</p><p>Derek snorted. "Yeah, my last guy, he, uh...he had some bad fish and puked something ugly the other day, so I'm short a hand. I need a busboy but occasionally, sometimes I'll need a waiter when the big rush comes. Also could use someone for sweeping. Basically, I just need a gofer guy."</p><p>"Gofer guy?"</p><p>"Yeah, go fer this, go fer that. I mean, everyone usually contributes in some way, but I do need a new guy to help keep up with the demands and stuff."</p><p>Scott nodded his head. "I can do all that."</p><p>Scott's first job was a barista at a coffee shop in Cambridge, so doing these menial tasks wouldn't be that difficult for him.</p><p>"And I'm just gonna be honest, all that work and I can only really pay you a minimum wage."</p><p>"That's okay. But, uh, I have a bit of an issue..." Scott sucked in a breath. "I kinda lost my wallet and it had my ID in it."</p><p>Stiles and Braeden exchanged a look, but Derek just shrugged his shoulders. "That's perfectly fine. For a job like this, I'm gonna have to pay you under the table."</p><p>Scott smiled, wincing a bit from his bruised eye. "Then great, I'll start whenever."</p><p>Derek smiled back and <em>holy shit</em>—Derek had a really nice smile. Bright pearly whites with the two front teeth that were longer than the rest, making it look like he has bunny teeth. It was adorable and endearing and—what was Scott thinking? This was his future boss offering him a job. <em>Behave yourself.</em></p><p>"Great. And shit, I forgot my manners," Derek said. "I'm Derek Hale. This dame with legs for days over here is Braeden."</p><p>He jerked a head over at the girl that Stiles was hitting on, who smirked cheekily at him. She was gorgeous beyond belief with the most alluring eyes, the only thing marring her perfect appearance was a scar—three scars to be exact, going down her neck in a kind of claw-like way.</p><p>"That one over there is Erica." He nodded over at a blonde girl with flirtatious eyes and showing ample cleavage from her blouse. No doubt she gets extra tips.</p><p>"And that clumsy oaf is Isaac." Isaac was tall. He must've been six-two with dirty blonde curls who was currently hitting on some beach babes in the corner booth.</p><p>"And this is my part-time guy, Boyd." A tall, muscular black guy with arms just a thick as Derek's waved kindly at him. "He helps me in the kitchen mostly and even though I try to death to get him to do dishes, he refuses 'cause he hates how it makes his hands pruny, so I usually have Isaac do it but I'm gonna want you to help out with that, too. Sound cool?"</p><p>Scott was nodding along the entire time. "Yeah, yeah, it's cool."</p><p>"Good. Braeden'll run you by the complicated shit, I got those burgers to finish."</p><p>He placed a hand on his shoulder. His grip was strong, but not tight. There was a tenderness in it that Scott hadn't felt in a long time and this was honestly a really inappropriate time to get a boner. "Thanks for this. We really needed the help."</p><p>With a wink and a smile, he trotted back to the kitchen area to finish up Scott and Stiles' cheeseburgers and Scott couldn't help himself but stare at Derek's ass in those tight jeans. He heard Braeden clear her throat and turned to see her narrowing her eyes at him, but still shooting him a knowing smirk, which made him blush.</p><p>"So..." Scott said lowly. "Just like that? I'm hired?"</p><p>Braeden shrugged indifferently. "It's not really a job that requires a PhD. You'll be fine." Stiles was currently sucking the last of his root beer from his straw before Braeden snatched it from him to refill it. "Make sure the cups are always full and try not to hover around the customers too much."</p><p>She placed Stiles' root beer before his motormouth roommate resumed guzzling it down. "Ask them if they want anything else but try not to ask them more than once. And when that bell rings..."</p><p>For emphasis, Derek had placed two of the famous Hale cheeseburger plates on the counter and rang the bell. Moments later, Erica was scooping them up and bringing them over to where Scott and Stiles were sitting. "...Try to beat Erica and Isaac to that bell more times than they beat you." Scott nodded understandingly. "For now, we just need you to pick up the plates and cups from the tables and make sure to wipe 'em down afterwards."</p><p>"Okay."</p><p>"The lunch rush has already come and gone, so you don't have to worry about helping out right now. You finish your plate. You can help out for the dinner crowd later tonight. How's five sound?"</p><p>Scott shrugged. "Sure, I guess. Sounds good."</p><p>"And don't worry about payment. It's not much, but it's a good enough paycheck and we do provide lunch for you guys and we're all generally good people to be around." She placed a comforting hand on his face. The side that wasn't bruised. It was clear to Scott that people in this town touch other people. A lot. Without even asking. It must be a Southern thing.</p><p>There was an almost motherly way she spoke to him. Protective and caring. It made Scott feel a little at ease after feeling like he was going to jump out of his skin whenever anyone spoke to him. He had to remember that Theo wasn't here to terrorize him anymore.</p><p>"Eat up, pal!" Stiles said through a mouthful of mashed up cheeseburger.</p><p>He looked down at the fattest cheeseburger he had ever seen, even bigger than the ones at the burger joints in Boston. And the smell was heavenly. He picked it up and bit into it. His teeth sunk into the tender meat like biting through a soft cheesecake. It was so tender and juicy and without him even realizing how hungry he was, it was a welcome relief on his stomach.</p><p>Braeden looked smug. "You look like you're in love. Glad to have you in our pack, sweetface."</p><p><em>Pack?</em> Scott thought curiously as he continued ravenously biting into his burger. He liked the sound of that.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It's Safe Haven Saturday, folks! Thought I'd show you Scott at his first day (sorta) at work! This one is a little more Braeden heavy.</p><p>I actually did some last minute changes to this that I hope you guys appreciate. Enjoy &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Something that Scott hadn't really known at all was that being the 'gofer guy', as Derek had put it, was such fucking demanding job.</p><p>Firstly, they made it sound like they wouldn't be busy during the nightly crowd but it was anything but. It was a constant flow of people. Just as quick as they came in, sat down and ate their food, they were quick to leave and be replaced by another table of people. Being the bus boy meant that he would have to make sure the dirty cups and plates were all picked up and all the tables were wiped and ready to go for the new customers.</p><p>In addition to busing tables, he had the lovely job of fetching whatever supplies they were running low on in the supply shed out back where there was nothing but dark forest and beach sand. He was also in charge of doing the dishes since Boyd refused to get his hands wet while he cooks up with Derek and Derek was too busy keeping his customers happy with his charming, bunny-tooth smile. Occasionally, Isaac and Erica helped out with busing the tables, but for the most part, Scott felt like he was being given so many responsibilities.</p><p>Maybe it was the fact that it had been a long time since Scott worked. Theo was the bread winner between the two; the only source of income. He insisted that Scott stop trying to pay himself through college with a meager job and stay at home and let him pay for everything. Or maybe Scott just wasn't used to so many boisterous customers. The Silver Bullet coffee shop in Cambridge was quiet and tranquil. People kept to themselves, either typing on their laptops or reading a nice book. But here in Beacon Hills, people got loud.</p><p>He could assess who were regulars and who were tourists from the way Derek would walk over to the tables and start up a conversation with them. That was another thing, people talked a lot in Beacon Hills, even the tourists. They all talked about inconsequential things like how they're day was going, how the swells were on the beach, and what they've been up to.</p><p>There were people who would say hi to him and he never said hi back. He wondered if maybe that came off as rude, but he was so taken aback by how comfortable people were with just striking up a casual small talk with a random stranger.</p><p>It wasn't until Braeden walked up to him and shoved a pen and notepad into his hands that he knew he was dead meat. She pointed out at the tables that were in the far corner. "That's your section. for now. We'll work on a schedule later. But right now, we're in need of an extra server, got it?"</p><p>When Braeden said <em>got it</em>, there was no answer other than yes.</p><p>Scott nodded his head and fumbled his way over to an overcrowded corner booth of people. He wasn't a particularly slow writer, but in his haste to get everyone's orders and not agitate them, his scribbling came out like chicken scratch and Boyd and Derek had to ask him multiple times what the order was.</p><p>Keeping the drinks full was another task. His hands were shaky and he always had this anxiety that people were staring at his bruise. Like maybe they thought he was some kind of punk who got into a bar fight or that maybe they could see through him and notice that he's an abused runaway.</p><p>Thankfully, he was able to get through the night without spilling anything on anyone and other than getting the food wrong on one of the orders because god forbid he could read his own handwriting, Scott survived the dinner rush.</p><p>The crowds had died down about an hour before the official closing time. It seemed to have been a regular occurrence at the Hale House diner because Derek was comfortable enough to let Erica and Boyd leave early to catch a movie at the local theater, which left Isaac and Scott to help clean up with Braeden and Derek.</p><p>Scott breathed a sigh of relief when he finally got to the last plate in the sink and tossed his dishrag to the side. He felt a hand clasp at his shoulder and instantly his chest seized up and he gasped aloud. He turned to see Isaac holding his hands up.</p><p>"Whoa, my bad," Isaac chuckled awkwardly. "I was just gonna say, uh, good job out there. You looked like you had fun."</p><p>Scott nodded his head and thought that was the end of it, until surprise, surprise, Isaac decided to engage in some more small talk. "So you doin' anything tonight?"</p><p>Scott cringed. "No. Just gonna go back to my apartment." It was a little more curt than he intended, but he wasn't really much in a small-talky mood. Not after people small-talked him to death all evening long. He couldn't believe he was this tired from four hours.</p><p>"That's too bad. But your new in town, so I get it." Isaac clasped at Scott's shoulder again, even after he almost gave Scott a heart attack just a second ago. "You take care. One of these days, I'll take you out with some lady friends of mine." Isaac then tilted his head, scrunching his face in thought. "Unless you'd rather go out with a manly friend...?"</p><p>Scott snapped his head to look at him like he had just sprout two heads. Isaac put his hands up again, looking like a guilty man. "Hey, hey, it's okay if you are, man. It ain't like that here. We love everyone. Everyone's family here at the Hale House."</p><p>"I—" Scott just about choked on his tongue.</p><p>"Y'know, Derek's gay, too." Isaac mentioned with a shrug of his shoulders. Since when did people just casually talk about people's sexuality like they were talking about the weather. "Not trying to set you up or anything. Y'know, not that I think you guys would do anything just 'cause y'all are like that. It's not a big deal. But y'know if you did, it'd be cool, too."</p><p>And suddenly Scott found someone who talked as much as Stiles.</p><p>"Uh—"</p><p>But just then, Braeden walked into the kitchen and narrowed her eyes at Isaac. "Go home, Isaac."</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, right. See ya tomorrow, Scott." Isaac gave Scott a friendly punch on the shoulder before taking off his apron and heading out of the kitchen.</p><p>Scott sighed, feeling utterly mortified from that little experience.</p><p>Braeden walked over to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. At this point, he needed to just get used to people touching him without his permission.</p><p>"Sorry about Isaac. He's a sweetheart, but he suffers from foot-'n-mouth disease and flirts with anything that has a pair of breasts stuffed into a pink swimsuit."</p><p>Scott could help but chuckle. "It's okay... I didn't know about... you know... Derek being..."</p><p>Braeden crossed her arms and suddenly Scott felt like he had been sent to he principal's office. "We're not supposed to talk about it, but Isaac talks and talks and talks."</p><p>"I'm sorry."</p><p>"It's okay. It's just that Derek doesn't want people to look at him differently. The people in this town are okay with him, but this is still the South, y'know. And we're very protective of each other."</p><p>Scott shook his head rapidly. "I would never say anything... I mean, I'm ga—" He cut himself off, but he had already said too much and he knew someone as smart as Braeden would notice his slip up.</p><p>"Don't worry, sweetface. I won't tell anyone if you're not comfortable or out yet." She smiled warmly at him and it was scary how easy it was for her to be so intimidating one second and so warm in the next and yet, not in the way that Theo was.</p><p>Scott replied, "Thanks—I mean... I am out. I'm just not—I don't... I'm okay with you guys knowing. I... I don't know what I'm saying."</p><p>Braeden snorted. "You're adorable when you fumble over your words." She jerked her head to the door. "Come on. I'm about to give you your cut for working the evening shift. How's thirty bucks sound?"</p><p>"Oh," Scott said remorsefully. He thought about the stacks of cash stuffed under his bed. "Y-you don't have to. You could say today was a test run."</p><p>"Don't be silly, sweetface. You earn your keep." Scott would've argued with her, but he was pretty sure that no matter how many times he argued, he was walking out of here with thirty dollars in his pocket.</p><p>Braeden was just about to usher him out of the kitchen before she stopped him suddenly. "Oh, and, uh, I should probably tell you this but Derek doesn't date employees. Yeah, it's like this stupid unspoken rule in his head. He's weird about it."</p><p>Scott's eyes widened, crooked jaw going slack. "I...I...I didn't..."</p><p>"I know you didn't. I'm only telling you because up until now it's never been a problem. But now that you're here..." Braeden gave him a once over. "We'll see how it goes."</p><p>She winked at him and Scott was already planning his next runaway bus ride to Florida. They walked out of the kitchen where Derek was sitting in a corner booth with a little booklet and a thick old school calculator, probably tallying up their daily total. Isaac was still here, flirting with some leftover patrons of the female persuasion on the dockside. Meanwhile, Braeden opened up the register to give Scott his pay for the day.</p><p>"I can stay and help if you want," Scott offered, but Braeden shook her head with a kind smile.</p><p>"We got it, sweetface. Don't work so hard on the first day" Braeden shut the register and asked, "So how are you getting home?"</p><p>Scott thought for a second. Stiles had dropped him off, but he never made plans to actually come back and get Scott and he wasn't around and Scott had no way of calling him since he didn't have a phone. "I don't know. Walk, I guess."</p><p>Walking by himself in a town he's never been in at nighttime. That sounded like a stupidly bad idea. And Braeden seemed to agree because she gave him a pointed look. "At night? I don't think so." She turned around and yelled for Isaac. "Isaac! Drive Scott back to his apartment."</p><p>Isaac looked offended. "But..." He gestured towards the hotties that he was busy with, looking at Braeden with begging eyes to let him find a future bride.</p><p>But Braeden wasn't having it. "What'd I say?"</p><p>Again, there was no arguing with Braeden. And soon enough, Scott had a ride back into town, thirty bucks richer.</p><p>
  
</p><p>Braeden flicked the switch off on the neon OPEN sign. Or to be more precise, the "OP N" sign since the E had burnt out a week ago and Derek hadn't been able to find time to get it fixed. Nevertheless, the light was turned off, signifying it was officially closing time and Derek could finally breathe a sigh of relief.</p><p>Erica and Boyd were already long gone. The two love birds decided to catch a nightly movie just before work hours were over when the dinner crowd was finally dying down. It usually wasn't that busy by closing time and having an extra hand in Scott around to pick up any leftover slack, it was good enough for Derek to let them go. And Derek couldn't possibly keep Erica and Boyd from sucking face in the back row of the Paramount, otherwise they'd be making cutesy faces at each other here at the diner and Derek needed to concentrate and not gag.</p><p>Braeden waved goodbye to Scott and Isaac after handing Scott his pay for the night just as Derek looked through the books to see what today's haul raked in</p><p>They had an unexpectedly busy dinner crowd after a so-so morning and a decent lunch hour. A bunch of out-of-towners had come in because they really couldn't find any other place in town that wasn't stock full with other tourists, so the Hale House basically got the scraps, which was fine because any business was better than no business.</p><p>The numbers were always a bitch to deal with, mostly because he was exhausted, his feet ached, and he wanted to go home and shower and hit the sack already. But for the most part, he was just tired of scraping by. Braeden always hung back until Derek was ready to leave. She didn't like the idea of him closing up the diner at night all by himself, as if anyone could get a good look at Derek's sour mug under the full moon and not run the other way like a pansy.</p><p>Still, he was always happy to have an extra hand to handle clean up, which was really supposed to be Isaac's job, but he would be too busy trying to pick up dates to any pretty, young late customers who would give him the time of day. Except for tonight when Braeden forced him to be Scott's ride back home.</p><p>Derek scrubbed a hand over his face as he finally finished up the books. They just about broke even, which wasn't great but it wasn't terrible either. A big crowd had come in two hours before closing, so he managed to get a good bill out of it. Not to mention Erica got a nice-sized tip from a bunch of college kids. All she had to do was bat her eyelashes and she had them wrapped around her finger.</p><p>Braeden was already done with clean up. She had locked up all the money that was in the register in the safe under the bar and made sure everything in the kitchen was turned off. Currently, she was outside, leaning against the docks and enjoying a Newport as she watched the moon glow against the waves. She called it her stress buster. It helped her unwind.</p><p>He turned the lights off and walked up to her.</p><p>"Thought'chu were quitting?"</p><p>Braeden blew out a nice cloud of smoke before turning to him with her signature furrowed brow. "Thought'chu'd kiss my ass."</p><p>"I'd love to if I wasn't into guys." Derek replied sarcastically as he snatched the cigarette from her hand and took a puff for himself. He quit smoking months ago but enjoyed a good hit every now and again. Especially when a butt looks so damn good when smoked by a fine ass dame like Braeden.</p><p>"So the new guy seemed to adjust pretty well," Braeden began casually as she took back her cigarette. "Even survived the dinner crowd."</p><p>Derek nodded, humming thoughtfully as his mind shifted to images of Scott piling plates into the bus tray. The big crowd that came a couple of hours before closing was unexpected to say the least, but welcomed nonetheless. He remembered he had been worried for the new guy because demanding customers meant the tables had to be clean regularly and they had to get as much plates in and out of the wash as fast as possible. And to make his life harder, Braeden had sent the kid out to wait tables like a momma bird kicking out her chicklet to fly just after they'd hatch. But Scott was able to get through the evening without breaking a single plate or tripping over a customer's feet, so he was already a ladder rung above Stiles Stilinski as an employee.</p><p>Scott had actually offered to stay behind and help with closing, but Braeden assured him to not work so hard on the first day and sent him on his way.</p><p>"Yeah, he seems okay," he said gruffly. "Might have him work the tables more often tomorrow if he's up for it."</p><p>Braeden paused as she took a long drag before blowing it out through the side. It was her usual move when she was deep in thought. "You saw that bruise on his face, right?"</p><p>Derek was distracting himself with the moon's reflection against the tide. He didn't take his eyes off it when he answered, "Yeah, I saw it. What about it?"</p><p>"You ever known a steering wheel or a dashboard that leaves a shiner like that?"</p><p>Derek turned his head to face her. "You think he's in some kind of trouble?"</p><p>Braeden just shrugged her shoulders and took another hit. "I don't know what I think. I just know he was lying about how he got that bruise."</p><p>Derek grumbled. He had noticed how jumpy he seemed when he and Stiles first walked into the diner, like he was expecting someone to jump him from behind one of the booths. Maybe it was fate or something, but Derek just simply had a habit of taking in strays. People who needed help or people who were just lost. It was how he ended up with his pack of misfits for a staff. And this Scott guy, he seemed like a good kid. Or maybe small-towners like himself were too trusting, but he really didn't get a malicious vibe from him.</p><p>If anything, he got a vibe of someone who needed help. Derek had a soft spot for people in need. Braeden had a sharp eye and even he noticed that there was something about the guy that he wasn't being honest about, but he wasn't going to press him about it. He had came to the diner to do his job and did it, so Derek was going to just leave it alone.</p><p>Braeden took another long drag. "By the way," she started. "I know you have that wolf-like hearing and heard what we were talking about in the kitchen."</p><p>Derek always had stupidly good hearing. It was a blessing and a curse. Tonight, it was a curse. Because he definitely did hear what they were talking about. He made a mental note to whack Isaac over the head in the morning, but now he had another situation to deal with. He could tell by the smug, shit-eating grin Braeden was sporting that she was right about the kid being gay. She had teased him earlier about how she caught him staring at his ass earlier. This is just what he needed.</p><p>Derek would be lying if he said he didn't find Scott attractive. Underneath that nasty bruise on his face was a kind smile between soft, pink lips, an adorably crooked jaw, and soulful puppy dog eyes. Derek was going to have a problem with this because he made a mental note to never sleep with an employee. It was never an issue because his wait staff other than Braeden consisted of two love birds and a horndog who will blindly chase after anything in a skirt. But now Scott was in the picture. Another gay guy who happened to be very attractive and actually found Derek very attractive.</p><p>He was so screwed.</p><p>Derek smoked the last of Braeden's cigarette before tossing it into a nearby trash bin and stalking off to their cars to drive home. And the entire way, Derek couldn't stop thinking about those soft lips.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Lemme know what you guys think! I love getting kudos and hearing you guy's comments! Tell me what you guys liked or your theories for next chapter. It's always fun to hear.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wha wha what?? A chapter update 3 days early? Well that's what happens when you complete a chapter and get too impatient to post it :D</p><p>A little sexual tension and some pining for you guys! This one is gonna kinda be a two-parter. It was originally one chapter but it ran on for too long, so I broke it up.</p><p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Scott was just starting to become painfully aware of just how lumpy his futon bed was and how he desperately needed a fully-functioning mattress that didn't dip in the center and didn't have dubious stains on them. He must have been so tired from this that he failed to notice just how shitty sleeping on this thing was during his nap early that morning.</p><p>Still, he was able to find a comfortable enough position to leave him droopy-eyed and falling asleep in seconds. Unfortunately, Scott wasn't able to get much sleep in the nighttime.</p><p>No matter what, he couldn't shake this feeling that Theo was there with him. It was like a shadowy presence or a dark cloud hovering above him, never giving him a moment's peace. It was almost like there was no escape from Theo and his unmatched wrath.</p><p>He'd have nightmares of Theo barging in and throttling his neck until he could no longer breathe and then Scott would wake up and realize he really couldn't breathe because he was having a simultaneous panic and asthma attack. His asthma wasn't as severe as it used to be and he just remembered that he forgot his inhaler in his pursuit in getting the hell out of that apartment.</p><p>For now, he would just have to power through it, which sucked beyond belief because it was like being suffocated to death. He finally managed to calm himself down enough that he could go back to bed, but he found himself unable to really go back to sleep.</p><p>It was probably for the best not to try, considering that any time he closed his eyes, his mind would drift to Theo. Instead, he pulled off the thin sheet cover that he had been using as a blanket and unlocked his door before slowly making his way down the hall to their little shared bathroom.</p><p>Their bathroom was just...not big at all. It barely squeezed in a standing shower, a small toilet and a tiny sink within a space that was just about the size of a standard closet. There were half-empty shampoo bottles everywhere and a bar of soap that had been whittled down to a thin blade of soap.</p><p>Stiles had mentioned that Scott had full reign to use whatever bath products he had until Stiles went down to the local convenience store for their groceries. But for now, Scott was stuck with a 2-in-1 Head &amp; Shoulders and some scented soap that had a questionable-looking hair on it that Scott had already convinced himself was a pube. But for now, he didn't have room to complain about his situation because he could be stuck with Theo.</p><p>He shimmied out of his clothes and got in the shower. When Stiles had mentioned they had hot water, he didn't know that meant it was scalding hot because Scott only had the knob halfway to the left where the red was and he felt like lava was being poured onto his bare skin. He twisted the knob again and sighed in relief when he was hit with a stream of cold water that helped ease the redness on his skin. After some adjustment, he was able to get the water to a moderately lukewarm temperature before resuming his shower.</p><p>Scott started to think about his life here in Beacon Hills. It was so far and beyond from what he was used to that he wasn't entirely sure if he could see himself settling here. He certainly didn't think of himself as pampered or sheltered, but Theo had kept him on a tight leash for so long and basically banned him from ever leaving the apartment, so Scott was just used to amenities that he did not have anymore.</p><p>The apartment was a nice space. It had a master bedroom with an 88-inch flat screen mounted on the wall, a guest room that was too frequently used by Scott, a stainless steel kitchen, and a master bathroom with a steam shower big enough to fit Stiles' apartment.</p><p>He couldn't really possibly see himself having a life here. In fact, he hadn't really even planned on settling down in Beacon Hills. This was a half-assed plan that was put together in ten minutes and he wasn't even supposed to be here. He had know clue what to do and he had stacks of cash in a backpack stuffed under his futon.</p><p>He knew that if he wanted, he could probably buy his own house in some secluded area and not even have to work since cost of living here was ridiculously cheap. The fact that he was working at a shabby fish shack as a bus boy when he was sitting on that kind of cash was inconceivable. But he couldn't just flaunt that kind of wealth to the people of this town. It would make him stick out too much and that was the exact opposite of what he wanted.</p><p>He was, however, going to need to go shopping for some clothes soon because he only brought three shirts, three pairs of underwear, and two pairs of jeans and he doesn't think he can work at a diner four to five days a week and have that be passable without them being concerned that he's dirt poor and in need of some extra cash. Because what he's learned from his first day is that people are so damn <em>helpful</em>. They want to <em>help</em> people. And if they think he needed money, all of a sudden, people buying him things that he could afford and giving him extra food during lunch because all of a sudden he's too skinny. But He would feel awful about taking money from people who needed it more than him.</p><p>After his shower, he dried himself off with a towel he had found stuffed into his tiny closet space and walked back to his room where he pulled on some boxers and just sat there thoughtfully. He doesn't know how long he would be able to keep up this charade and that's what it was. He was lying about who he was, had stolen a lot of money, and was on the run from a psychopath who would burn down every city just to get to him. He was so perpetually fucked. And it was only the first day.</p><p>Suddenly, there was a knock at the door that had Scott jumping to his feet, heart racing. He poked his head out of his room and stared fearfully at the front door. He purposely left his phone in Boston and Stiles had no clock in sight, so he had no clue what time it was, but the sun wasn't even out yet so he couldn't imagine who would be by at this hour.</p><p>Scott padded quietly through the living room towards the door. He looked behind himself to see if Stiles was awake. He slept with the door ajar, either because he was way too trusting and comfortable with Scott or he was just too lazy to close it. It really was a coin toss.</p><p>Scott stood frozen in place, waiting to see if his nighttime intruder would get bored and leave. And then a second knock came and he heard the voice of his new boss from the other side.</p><p>"Scott? Stiles? You two up yet?" Derek hollered from behind the door. Scott let out a sigh of relief before unlocking the door to reveal Derek's handsome face.</p><p>He was wearing nothing but a gray wifebeater, tight against his broad chest with tufts of chest hair peaking out from the neck. And then there those guns. Derek's arms looked like they were very good at lifting heavy objects and Derek looked like he would look good lifting those heavy objects. God, he was sex on legs. Scott should not be staring at him like this and thinking these things.</p><p>"Hey," Derek greeted, smiling with his cute bunny teeth. "Morning."</p><p>
  <em>Fuck, was it morning already?</em>
</p><p>Derek's eyes trailed downward before immediately coming back up. His cheeks looked like they were flushing a bit and he cleared his throat before handing Scott a paper coffee cup. "I added just a little bit of creamer and a sugar packet. I figured you're probably not a straight black kind of guy."</p><p>That was...so nice of him. No one in Boston ever brought him coffee without asking and he accepted it wholeheartedly, even though he was an iced caramel macchiato with a shot of espresso kind of guy which he regularly enjoyed at ten in the morning after an early morning run. Definitely not before the sun was even out.</p><p>He took a whiff of his drink and felt like he was in heaven. He always loved the smell of coffee. It reminded him of his days working at the Silver Bullet coffee shop back when he was still in school and paying his way through college. That was when Theo came into his life, all charming smile and seductive eyes, and decided to sweep him off his seat. That period before Theo... it was a happy memory.</p><p>"What time is it?" Scott asked as he blew into the little opening where the steam was coming out.</p><p>Derek checked his watch. "5:35AM."</p><p>Scott looked at him incredulously. There was a 5:35AM? In the morning? Only babies and Starbucks employees got up this early. What the actual fuck?</p><p>Scott twiddled his thumbs over the cup. "So, uh, did you just come here to give me coffee or...?"</p><p>"Oh! Yeah, I was, uh," Derek stumbled over his words. "I was thinking that since you're gonna be working with us, that if you would come with me to run some errands?"</p><p>Scott blinked. "Errands?"</p><p>"Yeah, I just got an order in over in Goodwater and I could use an extra hand loading up the boxes of soda and beer into my truck. The guy who works there, he's sixty and has got the heart of a twenty-something-year-old, but he's got the back of a hundred-year-old so I'm usually the one doing all the heavy lifting. Sometimes, I'd have Isaac help me out, but dragging his lazy butt out of bed at the ass crack of dawn is a chore to deal with on its own."</p><p>He shot Scott a good-natured smirk that had Scott tightening up because he was making him feel something down below. "If the kid weren't such a loveable shit, I'd have fired his ass a long time ago. Plus, you are supposed to be my new gofer guy. so this would be good practice for what's in store working at my joint. And it'll give us a chance to get to know each other."</p><p>He gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder and it hurt a little more than it should have. Scott took another sip of his coffee and nodded. "Okay, sure. Let me just get dressed."</p><p>Derek snorted. "Yeah, it's probably a good idea for you to show up in some pants."</p><p>Scott paled and looked down at his current attire, which wasn't much of an attire at all. He seriously answered the door in nothing but his tight, black boxer briefs. Thank the gods in the heavens that he did not get that erection he was fighting earlier because he didn't think he'd ever be able to live down the humiliation of popping a boner in front of his stupidly hot boss.</p><p>"Yeah..." Scott said awkwardly as he shuffled back to his room while Derek stood by the front door, trying to contain his laughter but also trying his best to fight the urge to stare at Scott's ass as he walked away.</p><p>He failed.</p><p>

</p><p>This was such a colossal fucking bad idea. Derek decided to get the truck started and let the AC make it nice and comfortable while he waited for Scott to get dressed. <em>Fucking Christ</em>. Seeing that round ass in nothing but a pair of tight, black Calvin Kleins was absolutely sinful. The epitome of temptation bouncing away into the other room. There was no way he <em>couldn't</em> stare. Not with an ass like that.</p><p>He wondered if this was how it was going to be. Was this just going to be a tennis match of staring at each other's asses and doing nothing about it? He supposed that would be the right thing to do. He was really, really starting to regret his own self-imposed rule.</p><p>He thought he was being professional. Thought he was doing the right thing by affirming that he would be a good boss and not fuck the ever-living daylights out of his hot employee. But god, Scott was so fucking tempting. And he was tempting in a way that he was just effortlessly attractive. With his cute lopsided grin and his soulful eyes. And now he had the image Scott in his underwear forever burned into his memory that will taunt him relentlessly until the day he dies.</p><p>The guy looked good. <em>Really</em> good. Lean and fit. Had some muscle definition for sure. But he also looked like light enough to be picked up and carried real easy.</p><p>Derek tightened his grip on the steering wheel and cursed himself. Now he was thinking about how hot it would be to pick Scott up and wrap his shapely legs around his waist. This was <em>very</em> unprofessional of him. Derek deserved a fucking gold medal in the Individual Forcing Down a Boner Olympics. He really should have rubbed one out before he got here.</p><p>Truth be told, it had been a long time since he had gotten laid. Living south of the Mason-Dixon line didn't exactly provide a lot of options when you're in a small town like Beacon Hills. The nearest dance club catering to the gays of the south, Jungle, was about an hours drive down over in Fairvale with nothing but a dingy motel in between.</p><p>A lot of closet cases used the old Glen Capri Motel for some down-low guy-on-guy action, but Derek never dared to try that with some old, married, cheating mook or some poor, fumbling kid questioning his sexuality. It was such an out-of-ways place that was too inconvenient for a quick lay, so Derek was pretty much left with a full set of nuts that needed a helping hand to get some much-welcomed relief. And right now, the hand he was craving for belonged to a hot piece of ass that was five-ten with floppy hair and a distinct crooked jaw.</p><p>He was snapped out of his thoughts when the passenger door opened and Scott hopped in wearing a simple pair of jeans and a plain white shirt with his red hoodie wrapped around his waist and a Mets cap that looked like the one Stiles had. There was nothing special about the shirt itself other than it looked good against his tanned skin tone. Something so unremarkable so looked incredible when it was worn by Scott.</p><p>"Ready?" Derek asked. Scott nodded his head. That was another interesting thing about the guy. He doesn't seem like a big talker. And he chose Stiles Stilinski of all people to be his roommate. He was an enigma. He could tell from the jumpy way he acted that he had something to hide, but he doesn't want to press the matter because it could cause him to close himself off.</p><p>But that didn't mean he couldn't press Scott about other things, like where he was from. He wanted to know what his life in New York was like. And also what made him stay in Beacon Hills out of anywhere in the country. If this guy was in some kind of trouble, he could've chosen any place in the world but he decided to stay here of all places. Derek was thankful for that nonetheless. He had an extra set of hands at the diner and a nice ass to stare at.</p><p>Derek mentally cursed himself again. He shouldn't be ogling Scott like this. It was damn disrespectful and his Ma taught him better than that.</p><p>He cleared his throat and subtly adjusted himself down below while Scott had stared aimlessly out the window. He shot the kid a toothy grin before turning the knob on his radio to listen to some 80s rock music as they drove off down the road.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Lemme know what you guys think! I love to hear your thoughts and theories for this fic! I'm hoping to finish up the next chapter before the usual Saturday and post it then. Thanks for the love ❤️❤️❤️</p><p>Some fun facts: Goodwater is the name of the town that holds the assisted living facility of the same name where Stiles' grandfather Elias resides in. The Motel Glen Capri is the same motel from "Motel California" (3.06) and actually is set in Fairvale on the show as well :P</p><p>How many of you caught that?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Greetings, readers! I know I promised an update Saturday, but things came up and I couldn't get it done until then. But now it's here a week from the last update, so that's still good. I hope everyone enjoys this story.</p><p>Here we have another little bit of backstory for Derek and some more Scerek pining for each other. Don't we all love that? Enjoy yourselves!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Goodwater was only about a 20-minute drive from Beacon Hills, but Scott seemed intent on spending those twenty minutes staring blankly out of the passenger window while the best of the 80's played on the radio. Derek dared a few looks toward him, studying him. He seemed calmer, but still so guarded.</p><p>Scott was really starting to confuse Derek with how hot and cold he was. One second, he'd be warm and friendly. But then the next second, he was putting up his walls. Like he had just realized he was letting himself be open with people and then decided to retreat back into his hermit crab shell.</p><p>He eyed the bruise on Scott's face. There were still so many unanswered questions to ask, but it would be for naught because this wasn't meant to be an interrogation and any pressing questions would just have him going back further into his shell. This drive was a perfectly innocent and friendly trip with perfectly innocent and friendly intentions.</p><p>Derek's eyes trailed lower, drinking in the details of Scott's neck and how scorching hot his skin would be against his lips. He wanted to growl but he figured it would make startle Scott if he did.</p><p>About five minutes into the drive to Goodwater—hell, about five minutes after he hired the guy—Derek surmised that he was definitely not going to be a professional inside his own damn head about Scott. He would just have to settle on playing the fantasies of Scott that rival a goddamn porno in his head and never echo his thoughts out loud. It was the only way he was going to get through this poorly-thought out road trip with his sanity semi-intact.</p><p>Derek cleared his throat, lowering the radio just a tad so they could talk. "So, uh, Scott..." he began casually, "Think you're gonna stay in Beacon Hills for a while?"</p><p>Scott turned to him but kept his eyes averted, like he was uncomfortable making eye contact with people. He shrugged, and let out a bored, "I guess."</p><p>Derek chuckled lowly. "You know you're starting to give me whiplash," he said. "I can't tell if you wanna socialize or close up." He looked over at Scott, who finally stared back at him. "We're not gonna do anything to you, y'know."</p><p>Scott looked away. "I know. I'm just not used to being around people who..."</p><p>"...people who are so hospitable?" Derek finished with a knowing smirk. There was an unreadable expression on Scott's face, looking somewhat surprised and impressed by Derek's language. "I talk slow sometimes, but I do know big words."</p><p>"I didn't think that."</p><p>"You're just a hard guy to pin down." <em>Fuck</em>. That was a stupid way to phrase that. "I mean, I can't get a read on you sometimes." That save seemed real subtle.</p><p>Scott let out a small, silent chuckle himself. "So is that the reason for this whole...?" He trailed off, making a hand gesture to indicate the truck.</p><p>"Yeah, kinda," Derek admitted. "I wanted to get to know you a little better, since you're gonna be working for me. And also I really could use a hand for this order."</p><p>He could kind of sense this conversation going south pretty quickly. It was clear from the short answers that Scott was back in his hermit crab mode, so Derek would have to settle on coaxing him out of his shell with his own personal backstory.</p><p>"Why don't I tell you about me a little bit? You don't have to explain your whole life story to me or anyone. We just wanna know if you're a good guy because I care a lot about the people I work with. The guys at the diner, they're not just my staff. They're like my family. I treat them like...well, like a wolf would treat its pack members. I don't ever want them getting hurt or anything."</p><p>Somehow during this short 20-minute ride, the conversation shifted from Derek wanting to get to know Scott better to shamelessly lusting after him, back to wanting to get to know him and then finally to pretty much admitting that he had his worries about Scott being some kind of swindler or troublemaker. Braeden was right, he had no game and zero social skills. He was lucky he was handsome son of a bitch blessed with the body of a god.</p><p>And blessed in other areas...</p><p>Scott held up his hands with an uneasy smile. "I promise you're not harboring a fugitive. I just...I really needed to a change of scenery."</p><p>Derek nodded his head, satisfied with that response. "You picked a good place, if I do say so myself. Beacon Hills, I mean, it's not like a tropical paradise or some kind of oasis, but it's a nice place to live in. People are nice, too. For the most part. We do have some of our... conservative folk. But y'know that's what you gotta expect in the south. No one makes comments to me to my face, mostly 'cause they know I'd knock their lights out if they did. But that doesn't mean some of them don't have less than savory views on my 'lifestyle choices', if you catch my drift"</p><p>There was a certain sarcastic way he said lifestyle choices. Almost bitter, but mostly cheeky.</p><p>Scott twisted his mouth into what could be considered a smile. "Yeah, I've had my fair share of homophobes growing up, too."</p><p>He already knew about the guy's sexuality per his conversation with Braeden, but confirming it out loud from Scott's mouth—his goddamn tempting mouth—was what Derek needed to hear. Or not hear. He doesn't even know anymore. His brain was now just a perverted, ongoing battle inside his head.</p><p>

</p><p>They got to their destination about five minutes before Derek said they would and that meant a good five extra minutes to enjoy the cool air conditioning before Scott had to jump out to help Derek load the crates back into his truck. The guy waiting for them, Duke, he heard Derek call him, was a kind, older gentlemen wearing a pair of Ray-Ban shades at six o'clock in the morning. From afar, he almost looked a blind man.</p><p>Derek greeted him like an old friend before Duke opened up the sliding door to a warehouse of Coca-Cola Company crates filled with sodas and water bottles for the ice box back at Beacon Hills.</p><p>"So who's the new guy?" Duke asked as Derek dropped a heavy crate of Sprite into Scott's arms. He really needed to go to the gym. "Thought you usually got Isaac to help you?"</p><p>Derek waved him off. "Isaac's probably still sleeping away a hangover with whatever dame he went home with last night. This is Scott Howard. He's my new guy. Just came into town yesterday."</p><p>Duke eyed him critically before turning to Derek with a slick grin. "Is he a..." He made a dainty limp wrist gesture at Derek, who promptly punched him in the shoulder. Not enough to hurt, but definitely hard enough to tell him he was stepping out of bounds. But Duke could only laugh good-naturedly at the hit.</p><p>Scott politely waved at him, not sure if the guy was also going to try to make casual small talk like everyone else in Beacon Hills and if that little joke between him and Derek was any indication, he doesn't think he could handle standing awkwardly at politically incorrect jokes at his own expense. God forbid he has to hear a wise crack about a border wall. But instead, the guy just stared curiously at him. Even with the sunglasses, Scott could tell the guy was eyeing his bruise.</p><p>"You been in some kind of bar fight, boy?" he asked, making Scott almost stumble as he made his way to the truck.</p><p>"Uh, no, it was, uh—" Rule one of lying was to not stumble over your words, but Scott was an expert stumbler and he was just shit at lying. He found that the least amount of details required, the easier the lie. But the problem was that people asked so many damn questions all the time. "Car accident."</p><p>"Look more like a left hook to me," Duke continued on, tipping his sunglasses down his nose as he narrowed his eyes at Scott. Now that he got a better look, the man looked a lot younger than sixty and rather attractive. But standing next to Derek Hale, he might as well have been a catfish.</p><p>Scott stood there, choking on his tongue, waiting for a rescue. Thankfully, Derek trodded over with two soda cases in hand, scowling at the older man. "Oh, let him be, Duke. This ain't an interrogation. Gonna scare off my new hired hand."</p><p>Duke chuckled, waving dismissively at him. "Hey, I'm just foolin', Der. Don't get your panties or your thong or whatever you boys like to wear in a twist."</p><p>Scott never said anything but awkwardly walk through and get as many of the crates as he could. Eventually, they figured out that Derek could carry two crates at a time and hand them off to Scott while he straightened them out on the truck bed floor.</p><p>It was getting hot, which meant they were getting sweaty and that was going to be a problem for Scott. Because that meant Derek was going to be sweating and he drove up here with nothing but a gray tank top that he filled out very well in. A gray tank top that was now get at the edges where his hairy chest was peaking out. And which showed off his muscular arms that were gleaming against the sunlight.</p><p>And to make matters even worse, after handing off the last of the crates to Scott, Derek decided he needed to wipe up his face with the hem of his shirt, showing off his abs and treasure trail. It had to take all of Scott's will power to make sure his jeans didn't get uncomfortably tighter because he didn't think he'd be able to hide it when he jumped off the tailgate.</p><p>Before he could get away, he felt a hand clasp onto his shoulder and felt his breath immediately leave his body instinctively clam up. He turned to see Duke smiling at him in that good-natured Southern way that was so rampant around here.</p><p>"Hey, little man, I just wanna let you know I appreciate you helping Derek out. He needs all the help he can get running that little diner of his. It used to be his old folk's place before they died. Don't suppose he told you about that?" Scott shook his head no. "Yeah, a house fire. It was... It was really bad. His mother, Talia, she was a good friend of mine. She was a wonderful woman loved by a lot of people here."</p><p>Scott blinked. "I didn't know..."</p><p>"Yeah, so like... You just be good to him, alright? Y'know if you swing that way of course."</p><p>And suddenly the sentimental moment turned into an embarrassing one because it seemed like everyone was eyeing them like they were going to hump each other at a moment's notice. Now he just wanted to go back to the truck and go take another relaxing, lukewarm shower because he felt sweaty and gross at the moment.</p><p>Derek and Duke shared friendly handshake and hug with Derek thanking Duke for opening the doors early for him. Despite the obvious gay jokes, it seemed Derek had a good rapport with the older man. "And you behave yourself. If you know what I mean."</p><p>The man gave him a not-so-subtle wink which earned him another smack in the arm before Derek walked back with an amused grin on his face. Scott hopped into the passenger seat, thanking all the gods for the AC's cool refreshing air hitting his face. And then he turned to see Derek stripping off his tank.</p><p>This was obscene. Someone upstairs must hate him or love him or something. Because there was absolutely no good reason for Derek to just randomly start stripping in front of him, even though his shirt was soaked in sweat. And if that wasn't enough, Derek decided then that it was a good idea to just wipe up any excess sweat on his chest before tossing it in the back and reaching under his seat for an extra shirt he had brought.</p><p>Now Scott's jeans were uncomfortably tight, but he luckily brought his red hoodie along to help cover up the damn traitor from Derek's vision. After slipping on the shirt, Derek flashed him a smile and started the car.</p><p>"Sorry about Duke. He means well, but he's small town and unfortunately, not the most PC character."</p><p>Scott clutched his hoodie tighter, as if at any moment it could fall down and give away his secret shame. He shook his head and shrugged. "That's okay. I thought he was nice." He also thought about what he had said about Derek's family. It made him a little curious to know more about Derek in that moment. But then again, curiosity would also be on him and he wasn't really ready to talk about that just yet.</p><p>Derek flipped on the radio just in time for Duran Duran's "Hungry Like the Wolf" to start playing and they were back to Beacon Hills.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In case you were wondering, no Derek did NOT shamelessly strip on purpose lmaoo. He's just a hot, clueless idiot.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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